Patch 1.9 is scheduled to hit Overwatch at some point today, which will finally introduce Orisa, the brand new tank hero, to the ever-growing roster. However, according to a statement from principal designer Scott Mercer, Orisa will not be available for an entire week for competitive play.
The post alludes to Blizzard’s desire of having players learn how to use Orisa first and utilize her to the best of her capabilities before heading into the competitive aspect of Overwatch. Going off previous patches being implemented into the game, we can probably expect to see 1.9 at 6pm UK time, which will see the arrival of Orisa.
Scott Mercer’s post reads:
When patch 1.9 releases tomorrow, Orisa will not initially be available for Competitive Play. We want to give players some time to learn about and play Orisa before she’s placed into the crucible of Competitive Play. She’ll still be immediately available in Quick Play, the Arcade (including custom games with the competitive ruleset), and Play vs. AI.
Orisa will serve her team as a central anchor, with the ability the defend her fellow teammates using a barrier in a similar fashion to certain fellow tank characters, which would be further beneficial should said teammates group up and coordinate around her. Defense isn’t her only strength however, as she has a greater range of attack than other tanks, as well as being able to slow down enemies and boost her allies’ damage output with her Supercharger ultimate.
Will you be checking out Orisa later today ahead of her competitive debut next week? Let us know in the comments below.